The end of the year festivities is approaching and, with them, the Christmas dinner and a variety of typical Christmas dishes. Therefore, in this article, you can find a menu suggestion for a complete and delicious Christmas dinner.
Just like any other event, being responsible for your family’s Christmas dinner requires organization. After all, you’ll have to please a variety of palates, diets and restrictions – ensuring that everyone leaves this all-important night satisfied.
For these reasons, the first step of this organization is to pick up the phone and get in touch with all the guests, finding out what can’t be missing from the Christmas dinner for each of them, gathering considerations about the night and noting how many people will need a menu. Special.
So, if someone in your family is vegetarian, lactose intolerant, celiac or allergic, you can prepare to serve safe dishes for these guests.
Also remember to identify the foods and list their ingredients, if possible, making everyone more comfortable at dinner time.
In addition to the concern with the quality and variety of dishes, invest in a simple but elegant Christmas decoration. Use items in green, red and gold, bet on candles, napkins, towels and lights. After all, the person responsible for creating a Christmas atmosphere will be you.
Finally, make sure there are enough seats at the table for everyone. Supper is a moment of togetherness and, therefore, the whole family should be gathered in the same place to have dinner together.
Menu suggestion for Christmas dinner
Below, you can see a Christmas menu for all tastes, in addition to the step-by-step instructions for preparing each of the suggested dishes – including appetizers, main courses, desserts and recommended drinks.
- Ham Canapé with Ricotta
To make the dish look like Christmas, you can put a leaf of lettuce between the bread and the filling and a piece of tomato on top.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
20 slices of ham
2 cups of ricotta
10 slices of bread
Parsley and chives, chopped to taste
salt to taste
toothpicks
Method of preparation
Cut the slices of bread into a rectangular shape.
Mix the ricotta with the seasonings.
Stuff the slices of ham with the seasoned ricotta.
Roll up the slices.
Cut them in half.
Place them on top of the buns.
Skewer the stuffing into the bread with toothpicks. - Fruit skewers
The fruit skewer is an aperitif that caters to different diets, restrictions and palates, so it must be a confirmed presence in your supper. Due to its tropical characteristics, the dish is perfect for Brazilian New Year’s Eve parties.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 pineapple
3 kiwis
1 strawberry tray
½ melon Mossoro
½ orange melon
2 cups of ruby grapes
1 cup strawberry jam
¼ cup of warm water
large barbecue sticks
Method of preparation
Cut the pineapple in half and peel the half of the fruit that contains the crown, as this part will be used for the recipe.
Cut the pulp of this part of the pineapple into cubes.
Remove the pulp from the other half, without peeling it, taking care not to pierce the skin, as this part will be used to skewer the sticks with the fruit.
Peel and chop the melons into cubes.
Clean the strawberries.
Chop the kiwis also into cubes.
Mount the skewer on the toothpick alternating the fruits.
Dilute the strawberry jam in warm water. This mixture will serve as a syrup for dipping the skewers.
Place the strawberry syrup in the cavity of half of the pineapple without pulp.
Insert the finished sticks into the pineapple skin. - Green salad with mango
The green salad with mango will bring a bittersweet touch to your dinner, pairing perfectly with the turkey and rice.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 iceberg lettuce
1 bunch of arugula
1 ripe palmer mango
Garlic powder to taste
chopped coriander to taste
Black pepper to taste
Salt and olive oil to taste
Method of preparation
Sanitize all green leaves.
Put them in a container.
Peel and cut the mango into cubes.
Place the mango cubes in the green salad.
Season with salt, garlic, coriander, black pepper and olive oil to taste. - turkey
After all, Christmas dinner without turkey doesn’t match, does it?
Preparation time: approximately 7 hours
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients
1 turkey of approximately 5 kg
1 can of beer
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of saffron
4 tablespoons of oil
Method of preparation
Let the turkey thaw overnight.
Blend the chopped onion, minced garlic and oil in a blender.
Add the beer and saffron to the seasoning.
Leave the bird to marinate in the seasoning for 5 hours.
Cover the turkey with aluminum foil.
Place in the oven at 180°C.
Let it bake for about 2 hours.
Remove the aluminum foil and increase the oven temperature until golden. - Ham with honey, cachaça and mustard
The cachaça serves to tenderize the meat of the ham, while the mustard and honey bring an exquisite and special flavor to the recipe.
Preparation time: 4 hours
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 kg of pork shank
2 chopped onions
2 chopped carrots
4 cloves of garlic
2 leeks
2 stalks of celery
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons of salt
2 cups of gold cachaça
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup of lemon juice
¼ cup of olive oil
¼ cup of Dijon mustard
¼ cup of honey
Method of preparation
A large, deep roasting pan is ideal for roasting the ham.
Combine all ingredients except mustard, honey and oil.
Keep the ham in the fridge for at least 24 hours, when 12 hours have passed, turn it over.
Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Bake in the oven for 3 hours.
Remove the ham from the oven and discard the sauce used for marinating.
Increase the oven temperature to 230 °C.
Mix the mustard, honey and oil in another container.
Brush the mixture over the entire surface of the ham generously.
Bake in the oven until golden.
Wait 10 minutes before slicing.